New center will study endemic fungal diseases in Latin America

FAPESP will begin supporting the Latin American Center for Medical Mycology, a global network of laboratories led by the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, which also has a unit in South Africa and will soon open another in Asia. Over five years, the foundation will contribute approximately £ 750,000, while the British institution will invest an additional £ 1 million.

By André Julião  |  Agência FAPESP – Despite the fact that there are 6.5 million cases of invasive fungal infections and 3.8 million deaths worldwide each year, according to a recent survey, mycoses are underreported and poorly studied.

With its respected researchers in this field and the occurrence of almost all endemic mycoses in the world, Brazil is a strategic location for studying these infections. It was chosen by the University of Exeter, UK, to host the Latin American unit of the Center for Medical Mycology (CMM).

The Latin American Center for Medical Mycology (CMM Latam) which was officially inaugurated at the University of São Paulo in September 2024, aims to advance the understanding, prevention, and treatment of fungal infections on the continent. It is now supported by FAPESP.

Over the next five years, the Foundation will provide approximately £ 750,000 (about BRL 5.5 million) in grants and research materials to researchers and postgraduate students in the state of São Paulo. The University of Exeter, which established the network, will contribute £ 1 million (about BRL 7.5 million) to fund researchers and materials outside the state and in other Latin American countries.

The CMM already has a unit in South Africa that focuses on studying mycosis on the African continent. It will soon open another unit in Asia, although the location is still to be determined.

“We’re a virtual center, an international network of laboratories working in synergy to understand the natural history of pathogenic fungi, prevention, and to propose new diagnostic strategies and therapies,” explains Arnaldo Colombo, professor at the Federal University of São Paulo’s Medical School (EPM-UNIFESP) and general coordinator of CMM Latam, to Agência FAPESP. 

Colombo also coordinates the Antimicrobial Resistance Institute of São Paulo (ARIES), a Research, Innovation, and Dissemination Center (RIDC) supported by FAPESP at EPM-UNIFESP. ARIES will work closely with CMM Latam.

At the University of São Paulo (USP), CMM Latam also includes researchers from the Biomedical Sciences Institute (ICB) and the Institute of Tropical Medicine of São Paulo of the Medical School (FM), coordinated by Carlos Pelleschi Taborda; the Ribeirão Preto Medical School (FMRP), coordinated by Fausto Almeida, and the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (FCF), led by Professor Sandro Rogério de Almeida.

The CMM Latam project approved by FAPESP also includes researchers from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) and Fluminense Federal University, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, the Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, as well as centers in the United States, Spain, Colombia, and Argentina.

“Starting in 2025, we’ll receive project submissions through our own system, already used by the University of Exeter, where researchers from all over Latin America will be able to apply for funding for research within the scope of CMM Latam,” says Taborda, ICB-USP director.

Projects must involve at least two researchers working in different locations. Those involving interdisciplinary collaborations with scientists from outside the state of São Paulo, including the rest of Latin America and/or the United Kingdom, will be given preference.

Focus

CMM Latam’s initial research will focus on three mycoses present in Brazil. One of these, sporotrichosis, is considered an epidemic in Brazil and has its own variant, Sporothrix brasiliensis. It is transmitted to humans through scratches from domestic cats.

“Epidemiological studies show that infections spread from the Brazilian coast, passing through the interior of the country and reaching Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay,” says Taborda.

Cryptococcosis is a disease caused by yeasts of the genus Cryptococcus. It is present worldwide but particularly prevalent in people with compromised immune systems, such as AIDS patients, transplant recipients, and diabetics.

The third type, histoplasmosis, is caused by the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum and is primarily found in the Americas, from the United States to Argentina. However, there have been cases in Africa and some parts of Europe. In Brazil, it is of particular interest due to its prevalence among immunocompromised patients.

These and other mycosis models will be addressed in five main dimensions: microbial evolution and pathogenesis; study of biomarkers and new diagnostic strategies; disease burden, natural history, and therapeutic approach; interface between environmental, veterinary, and human health in fungal diseases; education and training of centers for diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.

“Our expectation is to be the largest teaching and research center in Latin America for endemic mycoses. To this end, we’re creating this multidisciplinary and multi-institutional group to develop new strategies to combat these infections. It’s a just cause, important for society,” says Colombo.